


2023 | skz 'zombie' apocalypse au

by jsscallopedpotatoes



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Bang Chan is Bad at Feelings, Bang Chan is Whipped, Bang Chan-centric, Biker!Chan, Blood and Gore, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Diseases, Doctor!Minho, Family Member Death, Fluff, Forests, Gen, Graphic Depictions of Illness, Graphic Description of Corpses, Heavy Angst, Hospitals, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Infection, Insomniac Bang Chan, Kim Seungmin is So Done, Lee Felix is Whipped (Stray Kids), OT8, Pandemics, Protective Lee Minho | Lee Know, Science Experiments, Search for a Cure, Seungmin baseball bat!, This one's messed up but that's what makes it good, Visiting the family, Weapons, Yang Jeongin | I.N is a Little Shit, Zombies, anyways good luck reading this, but there are also soft moments, did i mention there's gore?, everyone gets hurt, i made up an entire disease, it starts off fluffy but don't worry it gets worse, piss but not in a kinky way, the police is incompetent, they find one but it takes too long, trust me it's just checking for symptoms, wounds wounds wounds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29019156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsscallopedpotatoes/pseuds/jsscallopedpotatoes
Summary: In short, a bunch of Australian scientists messed up and Felix and Chan ended up having to flee to another country in the middle of a pandemic to-be.The full story? Well, that's a bit more complicated. It involves crazed patients teetering on the brink of death, idiot civilians without masks, stolen schoolbuses, nasty symptoms, bunkers filled with people unwilling to share (or so-called infected), and six more boys lost in the pandemic, who took in Felix and Chan.Rated mature for violence, gore, death
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Comments: 9
Kudos: 31





	1. PREVIEW

_“…SEODS-BaV. Remember that name, because the newly discovered disease will be in the news regularly in the upcoming weeks. It was discovered by a team of medical professionals that treated a group of five Australian scientists on the ICU after they mysteriously got sick during work. It is said that they were experimenting with bacteria and viruses. According to local sources from Perth, they managed to accidentally combine the bacteria that causes lepra with a lesser-known virus. The new disease has been named SEODS-BaV, standing for Severe Early-Onset Decay Syndrome, Bacterial Virus._

_Not much is known about the disease so far, but citizens of Perth are asked to interact with the hospital as little as possible, since bacterial and viral diseases are known for being infectious. Specialists say that, if this new disease were to break out, it could escalate to another pandemic as we had during COVID-19 three years ago in 2020. In order to prevent that, the entire hospital of Perth has been quarantined. When further information about SEODS-BaV is known, the public will be informed.  
Now, on a more cheerful note, for this week’s weather we can look forward to…” _

Felix sighed, turning off the television. He let his head fall back against the couch. Next to him, Chan readjusted their fleece blanket. “Don’t worry about it,” the older said. “They’re just going to be talking about this for a while until it dies out. It can’t be that bad.”

“They always say that,” Felix mumbled. He tilted his head to look at Chan. “They said that about corona too. That it wouldn’t be that bad.”

“And here it wasn’t. Australia knows how to handle their diseases, Lix. We’ll be fine.” Chan gently patted his hair, raking his fingers through the strands. Felix hummed and closed his eyes in content. “We’ll always be fine if we’re together.”

“As long as we’re together,” Felix whispered, scooting closer to Chan and snuggling into his side. He watched as Berry settled her little head on his foot, yawning and licking his sock.


	2. 3 / 3 / 2023

The hardwood floor of his parent’s house was cold against the undersides of Chan’s legs. He and Felix were visiting them, having arrived only a few hours earlier in the afternoon. Right now, the younger was sitting behind him, pressing his fingers into the dent between his shoulder blades. Chan sighed. His dog, Berry, trotted over to come and sniff his hand. Along with the little dog came his mother, with a tray of cookies.

“I told you I’d be making dessert,” she mused, setting them down on the coffee table. She adjusted her flowery apron and dusted the flower off her hands. “Take as many as you want. There are more in the kitchen.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Bang,” Felix said. Chan could hear the smile in his voice. He liked Felix’s smile.

“Thanks ma,” he said softly before yawning into his sleeve.

“You should sleep more,” his mother said as she walked back to the kitchen. “It’s not good for you.”

“I know,” he called after her. “But I needed to get something done before coming here.”

He could hear his mother hum in disapproval. Clicking his tongue, he leaned over to get two cookies, handing one to Felix, who thanked him softly. The front door opened with a loud click—the sound of his dad coming home. 

“I’m home,” he announced as he walked into the living room. Upon seeing Chan and Felix, a wide smile spread across his face. “How amazing to see you boys again!”

“Hello Mr. Bang,” Felix said, again with that devastating smile. Before Chan could also greet his dad, his mother came in and kissed her husband on the cheek, starting to ramble about her day. 

“That sounds wonderful, dear,” Chan’s dad said when she was finished, and he’d sat down on the couch. “Chris, can you turn on the television? I want to know if there’s anything new on SEODS.”

Chan obliged. He was interested too. Behind him, Felix continued his little massage, working the knots out of his shoulders and placing a soft pat on his head every now and then. Chan reveled in the feeling. Even though his hair was thick and curly, the light pressure on his scalp made his entire body relax. He leaned back a bit, resting his head sideways onto Felix’s left knee. 

_“…in Adelaide. The suspect has been detained by police and is to appear in court next Tuesday.”_ The news lady was standing in front of a picture of a man with a censorship bar across his eyes. The image changed—instead showing a bright green picture of a virus. _“And with that, we will now bring you the latest news about SEODS-BaV, coined the ‘fuzzy rot’ by Perth ICU workers. It is these people that have also provided us with more information on the disease. One nurse who has been in close contact with an infected scientist caught the disease and is now also a patient on the ICU. Early symptoms are said to start within twenty-four hours after infection, soon swelling to higher levels of severity. After a week, patients are said to be visibly sick to bystanders. More information about SEODS-BaV can be found on our website. Due to a possible chemical waste leak from the scientists’ laboratory, residents of Perth are advised to read through the symptoms and immediately go to the hospital if they notice any._

_And with that, I invite Rob here to take it away with this week’s weather.”_

Chan’s father abruptly turned off the tv. The sudden disappearance of the light was jarring, and Chan had to blink a few times.

“Maybe you should call James,” Chan’s mother said to his dad. “Ask him how things are in Perth.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. Could you please hand me one of those beautiful cookies, dear?”

+++

Chan’s childhood bedroom was cozy. It was small, and the second mattress barely fit on the floor, but that was part of its charm. Chan couldn’t help but think back on the sleepovers he’d had there with his friends in school. Now Felix was there, standing in the doorway with his duffel bag. It was almost like back then, even though that had always been other friends. Chan had only met Felix after university, after all.

“Did you parents even change anything after you moved out?” Felix asked. Chan could see him scanning over the walls filled with anime posters, medals, and his bookshelves filled from top to bottom with books, stuffed animals, pictures, and even a few shoe boxes. It did look a bit like a teenager’s room, and it should’ve been embarrassing to let Felix see it, but instead, the atmosphere was relaxed and cozy. As it always was with Felix. 

“No, not really,” Chan answered. “I took the stuff that I wanted with me, and I guess they just never chucked the rest.”

Felix hummed, and set his duffel bag on the ground. It was black and green, and nearly fell apart at the seams from years and years of use. “Your parents are really nice, Chris.”

“They are,” Chan confirmed. He set his own bag down under his old loft bed, which was freshly made with crisp dark blue sheets that smelled like home. Perhaps more like fabric softener, but still. The sheets on the mattress were a sickly green, but that added to the charm of sleepovers: dodgy extra sleeping accommodations and great friends. 

“I don’t want to sleep yet,” Felix said softly when they’d changed into their pajamas. “Do you?”

“Not really,” he admitted. “You wanna watch a movie or something?”

“Sure.” Felix rolled over, staring up at the ceiling. “How late is it?”

“Ten thirty,” Chan said as he climbed down from his bed and took his laptop off the desk underneath. “What should we watch?”

“Twilight,” he joked, chuckling to himself. Felix’s chuckle was quite deep, Chan noticed. It was cute. “Nah. Maybe we should watch something Ghibli.”

“Princess Monoke?” Chan suggested. He lowers himself onto the green mattress, lying on his stomach right next to Felix and setting down his laptop in front of them. “I haven’t seen that one yet.”

“Sure,” Felix agrees with a smile. And his eyes curved into half moons and oh man, Chan wanted nothing more than hold him tight while stargazing on a rooftop on a summer night. But in that moment, lying next to each other while watching Princess Monoke would have to do, though. Perhaps it would have to do for forever. But that was something Chan preferred not to think about. He opened his laptop and pulled up Netflix, browsing through the categories before deciding to just search for the movie.

About halfway through the movie, Chan’s shoulders got tired from keeping him upright. He yawned loudly, making Felix chuckle. “You wanna finish the movie tomorrow morning?” the younger asked.

Chan hummed—a sound that was easiest interpreted as a ‘yes’. Felix slung an arm around his shoulder and paused the movie before wrapping Chan up in a tight hug. “Go to bed Channie. You can sleep as much as you want. No need to get up early.”

“I’ll try,” Chan mumbled, leaning into Felix’s embrace. His best friend was warm, and there was a comforting lack of space between them.

“What do you mean you’ll try?” Felix asked. “You’ve been teetering on the edge all night. I bet you’re out like a light as soon as you hit the bed.”

That was the thing, though. Chan wanted to sleep, he just couldn’t. It was something he’d been struggling with for a long time, ever since he was in university. On any given day, he could stay up until evening turned into night, and night into morning. At first, it had been a blessing, with his long days of studying and overwhelming workload. However, it started to become a problem when he realized that he couldn’t sleep, even when he wanted to. As soon as his head hit the pillow at night, he’d be wide awake. Only once every fortnight or so, he’d tire himself out enough to get a full nights sleep. 

“Insomnia,” was his answer. Short, but clear. Felix let out a cute little ‘oh’ from where he had his head tucked underneath Chan’s chin. 

“Do you take meds or something?”

“No. I had a bad reaction when I took them, so now I just… cope.”

Felix hummed against his collarbone. “Is there anything I can do?”

To be quite honest, Chan felt like he was closer to dozing off than he had been in weeks, partly because of the fact that it had been a while since he had a full nights sleep, but also because of Felix’s soft and steady heartbeat that he could feel against his own chest. If he’d had the courage to ask, he definitely would’ve wanted to spend the night with Felix. Just cuddling the night away, reveling in each other’s warmth and falling asleep to the sounds of rhythmic breathing.

Instead, he said, “No, but thanks for offering.”

And with that, he escaped from Felix’s grip, leaving his body cold, and slithered into his loft bed. “Goodnight, Felix,” he said once he was curled up under his blanket.

“Night, Channie.”


	3. 5 / 3 / 2023

Surprisingly enough, Chan actually slept that weekend. On Saturday, they’d slept in, spending the day at home with Chan’s family and Berry. On Sunday, Chan woke up before Felix. He felt well-rested. Maybe it was the familiarity of his childhood home that had magically lulled him to sleep the night before. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but either way, he was happy that he’d gotten two full nights of sleep in a row. 

Felix had told him that he usually went to church on Sundays. “I always go,” he’d said. “I always have. It’s how my parents raised me.” So they’d postponed their trip to the afternoon so he could visit mass. Chan could tell that Felix had been close to denying the offer, but his mom had insisted that he should go if he wanted to. 

And when he’d come back, Felix had talked about how everyone at church had welcomed him as one of their own, even though he usually went to another church across Sydney. There was a certain sparkle in his eyes and a bounce in his step that hadn’t been there in the morning, Chan noticed, and he couldn’t deny the spark of warmth in his chest upon seeing his friend that happy. Whether it was because of church, or because they were going to the beach, he didn’t know, but either way, Felix’s smile was gorgeous as ever. 

It was hot at the beach. Of course it was—even at the start of autumn it was hot near Sydney. Chan’s younger siblings and parents trailed behind him and Felix as they walked through the dunes. Chan was carrying a bag filled with towels, sunscreen, water, and snacks. It wasn’t that heavy. At least, not for him. He wouldn’t have wanted his little brother to carry it. 

“It’s pretty here,” Felix commented, wiggling his toes in the sand. The grains slid through them, making little hills of sand beneath.

“You’ve never been here?” Chan asked.

“Nah. My parents never had time to take us out to the beach,” he answered. “You wanna swim?”

Chan nodded enthusiastically. Of course, he loved swimming, and he was sure that Felix did, too. He pulled his tank top off without a second thought, standing up and dropping it on top of his towel. Felix did the same. There were tan lines on his arms, and a few freckles were strewn across his collarbones. 

“We should put on sunscreen though,” Chan said, not bothering to look away from the younger. God, he was pretty. He took the cap off the bottle and began putting some of the fluid on his chest and stomach. With a frown, he looked at how it made his already pale midriff even whiter.

“You’re pale,” Felix grinned, holding out his hand so Chan could squirt some sunscreen into his palm. “You should go outside more.”

“I am outside,” Chan said, wiping his hands on his sides and pulling his trunks up a bit. “Should I do your back?”

“Please.” Felix turned around and let Chan reach his back. Even on the back of his neck, freckles were present. Softly, Chan rubbed the sunscreen into his friend’s back. Felix was right—even his back was tanner than Chan’s stomach. “I’ll do yours too,” Felix said when he was done.

+++

At that time of year, the water had been pleasant. Right after a warm summer, the water was always nicest, since it took such a long time for the water to cool down again after having warmed up throughout summer. After a while, Chan’s sister also joined them in the water, leaving his parents on the beach with his younger brother, who was busy reading comic books.

Chan taught Felix how to bodysurf. He hadn’t done it in a while, but he was confident that he could teach Felix. After such a long time, it was harder than Chan had expected, though the rush that came with the waves was exhilarating. And every time he reached the shore, Berry would bark at him from where she was parading along the coastline with his tennis ball-bearing dad in tow.

The afternoon went by in a haze of sun, salt water, laughs, wet hair, and damp skin. And it was over all too quick, because Chan didn’t want to come out of the water when his mom called them so they could go to a beach restaurant to eat. Felix, though, was easily convinced, and strode out of the water without any hesitation. Chan watched him as he treaded through the sand, admiring the way his hair was dripping onto his shoulders, and the way the droplets slowly glided down his toned back.

“Stop staring,” his sister, Hannah, said as she passed by him, elbowing her brother in the side. “C’mon, I wanna go eat.”

Chan ordered a cheeseburger. Felix had gone for a pasta salad. It was cozy in the restaurant. Everything smelled like the sea, and the cracks between the pillows on the couches were filled with sand. In the background, soft music played, and Chan could easily pick at the paint that was falling off the wood of the table. 

His burger was absolutely fantastic. The patty was juicy, the salad crunchy, the bun fresh, and the cheese wasn’t as plastic-y as he had expected. He hummed in content. “This is good.”

That earned an amused snort from his little brother, who was shoveling roast potatoes into his mouth. Hannah elbowed him in the side, but was clearly hiding a little chuckle of her own.

“So how long have you two been together?” Chan’s dad asked, making him choke on his burger and nearly have a heart attack right there.

“Oh,” Felix uttered, startled, with a fork halfway to his mouth. “We’re uh… we’re not together… in that way.”

“No,” Chan said when he had finally managed to recover and get the hamburger out of his windpipe. “We’re just friends.”

Hannah scoffed.

“Ah,” his dad said, somewhat awkwardly. “I’m sorry… I—”

“It’s okay, dad,” he insisted, though he felt his cheeks heat up, and he was suddenly very interested in his plate.

“This is something we’ll laugh about later, right?” Felix said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Like, remember that time your dad thought we were a couple? And then we laugh.”

“Right,” Chan said. “Exactly. You’re right, Felix.”

“I’m always right,” he teased, seeming somewhat more relaxed as he took another bite of pasta. 

“So when are we going home?” Hannah asked a while later. “I’ve been meaning to call my friends somewhere tonight.”

“Right after we’ve paid, yeah?” Chan’s mom answered.

Chan didn’t really want to go home. It was nice at the beach, and he enjoyed in there. He let his gaze drift across the table. Everyone had finished their food, and they were waiting for a waiter to come bring the bill. Felix was busy folding his napkin into strange shapes, and Chan found himself admiring the concentrated look on his face. There were also still wet patches on his shirt, undoubtedly from the seawater. Outside, he could hear the waves crash against the shore, filling the air with a pleasant rumbling at all times. He inhaled deeply, reminding himself once again that he lived near the beach, and could go swim in the sea whenever he wanted.


	4. 6 / 3 / 2023

Chan woke up well rested on Monday morning. Below him, he could hear Felix bustling around, probably busy putting on clothes. He resisted the urge to immediately sit up, instead indulging in the feeling of his blankets and turning over. 

“Morning,” Felix said while opening the curtains. Golden sunlight flooded in. Chan was facing the wall, but he was sure that Felix was looking absolutely glowing in the morning light.

“Hi,” he said. His voice came out a bit groggy, raspy if you will. Felix chuckled lightly. Chan turned over again, sticking his head out over the railing and looking straight into his friend’s eyes.

“Nice to see you awake,” Felix said. He was smiling, making his eyes turn into little crescents.

Chan hummed, tilting his head sleepily and closing his eyes in bliss. It was so nice that morning.

“You wanna have breakfast?”

“No,” Chan whined, falling back into bed. He didn’t want to get up. “Wanna stay.”

“You big baby.” Felix laughed and climbed up on the loft bed. It creaked, obviously not made to accommodate two adult men. “It’s late. We’re gonna miss the morning news if you don’t get up soon.”

“But it’s our day off,” he said. He wasn’t leaving that bed without a fight.

“Please?” Felix asked, dragging out the vowels. His voice had gone to a higher pitch, and Chan found himself giggling. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. The blankets fell off his shoulders, exposing his bare torso.

“Put on a shirt first though.”

“This is my house,” Chan said after dropping his hands to his sides. “I’ll wear whatever I want.”

“It’s technically your parents’ house,” Felix joked. “Also, you need to protect your decency. Your sibs are going to whine all morning about you having to put on a shirt.”

“Oh, so like you’re doing right now?”

“What can I say? You’re like a brother to me.”

“I think my dad has a different idea than that,” Chan said, grinning.

“Alright then, jagi, why don’t you—”

Chan interrupted Felix by kicking him in the stomach. The younger tumbled off the bed, landing on his own green mattress. “Betrayal,” he whined.

“Shouldn’t’ve called me jagi then.” Chan jumped off his bed, just barely avoiding stepping on Felix’s stomach. “C’mon, brekkie is calling.”

Felix groaned, but stood up and followed Chan downstairs.

+++

“Put on a shirt,” Hannah said as soon as she caught sight of her older brother.

“Told you,” Felix sang as he passed by Chan. 

“Oh come on,” Chan grumbled, but there was a smile hidden behind his faux anger.

“As long as you don’t flaunt your abs by the window,” Chan’s mom warned as she walked by with two bowls of steaming oatmeal. “Lucas, can you go and get some toppings? Chan, be a dear and go fetch the other bowls.”

“How many arms do you think I have?” Chan said jokingly, but he walked into the kitchen to get some more bowls of oatmeal.

“I’ll help you carry them,” Felix said, walking after him. 

Not much later, all of them were sitting around the coffee table in the living room, and Chan’s dad turned on the television so they could watch the morning news.

 _“…from Perth, our reporter brings us more news about the SEODS-BaV outbreak.”_ The reporter in Perth was standing at a fence, behind him a hospital bustling with activity. Chan could hear people yelling in the background of the footage. Then, the reporter started talking: _“Yes, thank you, Agnes. As you can see and hear, it is a mess here in Perth. I’m standing here with several reporters, surrounded by fences and police guards in order to keep things safe. The fuzzy rot patients have escaped the intensive care unit, and are now on the loose. They show aggressive behavior towards anyone in sight, mercilessly attacking nurses and doctors alike. It even seems that the bites are infectious. True zombie-esque activities here. Police has everything under control, though, and there is no need to worry. Especially not for you guys over in Canberra.”_

The screen switched back to the news lady. _“That was our reporter from Perth, thank you. So, chaos outbreaks in Perth, as well as an SEODS-BaV outbreak. It is said that lab animals from the scientists’ laboratory have also contracted the so-called fuzzy rot. That case is still being inspected by professionals that have quarantined the lab. Now, moving on, we have news about the court case of…”_

+++

Chan was wearing his leather jacket when he tossed his and Felix’s bags into the trunk of his car. Originally, he’d wanted to come on his motorcycle, but there was no other way than the car to take Berry. It was a tight fit, the dog and their bags, but they had made it work before. 

“I’m going to miss you boys,” Chan’s mom said as she was hugging him a few minutes later. “Come visit again soon, yeah?”

“Of course ma.” Chan’s voice was muffled in her fluffy hair. “This will always be my first home.”

At that moment, Felix came out, carrying a tub of what seemed to be food. He was wearing a large black hoodie—a spare of Chan’s, so it was a bit too large on him. Honestly, he found it endearing to see Felix in his clothes.

“It was so nice to meet you, Felix,” Chan’s mom said after having escaped from his embrace. “You should come too next time.”

“Oh I will, Mrs. Bang,” Felix said with a bright smile. “But for now I need to get back to work just like Chan.”

“Yes, yes,” she enveloped Felix in a hug too, though it lasted a bit shorter than the one she’d shared with Chan. “You stay safe out there, okay? And be careful on the road. I love you.”

“I always am,” Chan said. He closed the trunk. “Love you too mom. Tell dad, Lucas, and Hannah that I’ll miss them, yeah?”

“I’ll tell them as soon as they get back from school.”

“Thanks.” He turned to Felix, who had entered the car in the meantime. “C’mon, let’s go.”

And so they drove off into the distance, on the way home. Home, to Chan, was a small house at the edge of Sydney. Felix only lived a few streets further, and they’d met at a garage sale that took place one day. It was a small neighborhood, and everyone knew each other, like a small community. 

They’d left right after the morning news that day, so the streets were busy with the last people going to work. Chan had decided they should avoid the center of Sydney—even though that was the fastest way, it wouldn’t be if there was the amount of traffic as there was on a regular Monday morning. So they drove around the edges of the city, slaloming through neighborhoods on the way.

When they finally arrived back home, Chan went to drop Felix off at his own house first, before going back to his. They parted with a short goodbye, knowing that they’d see each other the next day anyways. Still, the car felt too empty when Chan drove two streets further so he could lounge on his couch for the rest of the day. Technically, he’d taken the day off, but he really didn’t know what he should or could do for the remainder of the day. 

Thus, that was what he thought about as he hoisted his suitcase out of the car, and let Berry out as well. He should take her for a walk first, he decided. Then he could contemplate what else to do.

+++

His plans to simply relax on his own for the afternoon were quickly discarded though, when he came back from walking Berry and saw Felix sitting on the curb with his bags next to him. He seemed to have walked right back to Chan’s house, maybe even having sat there for quite a while, waiting for him to come back.

“What are you doing here?” Chan asked.

“Can I stay with you?” Felix responded. He looked up at Chan with big eyes, though there was a certain tiredness behind them. Chan didn’t know why, but he presumed it had something to do with the fact that Felix had been up so early.

“Sure,” he said on instinct, before even asking, “Why?”

“My neighbor was in Perth for the weekend, and he told me when I got home that he thinks he might’ve been showing symptoms since this night. He was wearing a mask and everything when he greeted me, and he was standing far away, so I’m sure I haven’t contracted it too.”

“Oh,” Chan exhaled. “And he didn’t go to the hospital?”

“Said he just wants to wait until it passes, because he has a strong immune system.”

“It doesn’t pass though,” Chan said. “I read an article while I was walking Berry, and it says the virus changes your DNA.”

“It does?”

“Yeah. HIV does that too. Something with RNA, I think.”

“I’ll text him about it,” Felix said. He stood up, and a joint in his shoulder popped.

“Did you carry those bags all the way here?”

“Yeah…”

“Let me take them into the house then.” Chan patted his shoulder and took slung the duffel bag over his shoulder before handing Berry’s leash to Felix and taking his rucksack as well.

“Thank you for letting me stay,” Felix said, trotting after Chan while Berry enthusiastically barked at him. “I don’t think I’d feel safe living next to an infected person. Remember when the people on the news said they showed violent behavior?”

“It’s one of the symptoms that shows around three days after infection, yeah.” Chan closed the door behind them. They were standing in the narrow hallway, on the doormat. Both of them slipped their shoes off, and Chan walked through to the living room to dump Felix’s bags on one of the couches.

“I love your house,” Felix said. He stretched his arms out. “It’s so… homey.”

Chan hummed. It was very homey. It only had three actual rooms, all on the ground floor. Kitchen and living room in one larger area, and a bedroom with attached bathroom on the side of it. Most of his things were warm-toned as well, which gave it some extra coziness. It was just that the two old leather couches stuck to his bare legs whenever he wore shorts. 

“We should have some lunch. I’m pretty sure there’s still some soup in the fridge we can thaw,” he said. His socks slid a bit on the tiles of the floor, and he rummaged around the kitchen until he found his precious soup.

“Cool. Thanks again.”

“Yeah, anything for you, mate.”

+++

They spent the afternoon watching anime. When the evening came, they cooked up some fried rice with the kimchi that Chan’s mom had given them. The chairs at the dinner table didn’t match, and most of them were squeaky, but the food was warm, the air was warm, and most importantly, they had each other. At least, that was how Chan experienced it. The entire living area and kitchen were illuminated by the setting sun that shone in through the kitchen window, bathing everything in a golden light. It made Felix’s skin look gorgeous, and Chan was sure that if he drenched his hair in honey, it would look the same, just a bit stickier.

“Should I get some sheets to put on the couch?” Felix asked when he had set his bowl on the kitchen counter.

“What?” Chan spun around. He was startled. 

“Sleep on the couch. Me. I was going to get extra sheets?”

“Oh no,” he said. “I don’t… I don’t have any extra sheets. I usually wash them and put them back on all on the same day.”

“I’ll just get a pillow and your fleece blanket then. That should work too.”

“That’s a horrible idea,” Chan blurted out. “I mean… the couch is made of leather, it gets really sticky against bare skin.”

“Oh…”

“Just sleep in the bed. It’s double anyways.” Chan almost regretted offering it as soon as the words left his mouth. Of course Felix wouldn’t want that. They weren’t even that close yet. Sure, he considered Felix his best friend, but they were definitely not on a bed-sharing basis.

“You’re okay with that?” Felix tilted his head at Chan—which was very cute by the way—and fumbled with his hands for a bit before stuffing them into the pockets of his hoodie. The same hoodie that he’d been wearing that morning: Chan’s hoodie. 

Chan’s heart skipped a beat, and his chest tightened. “Sure,” he squeaked. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to sleep in the same bed with the man that he honestly just wanted to hold close and shower in soft kisses, but his heart didn’t seem to care, and before he could register much apart from Felix’s bright smile, the youngest had already gone off with a little spring in his step to put his bags in Chan’s room.


	5. 9 / 3 / 2023

Thursday morning was never that busy at the bakery. Usually, Monday morning and the weekends were rush hour for Felix and the rest of the crew. On Thursday morning, the most exciting people coming in were generally stressed parents that forgot to buy bread—or Chan, who sat there every Thursday morning before going to work. After all, his own job only started at one o’clock on Thursday. So there he was, in a corner of the bakery. Some days, Felix would bring him a sandwich, but usually it would be a croissant. That particular ninth of March, it was a freshly baked bagel. It was still warm, and the cream cheese and honey were gooey and basically melted in his mouth. 

It was ten o’clock, which meant Felix emerged from behind the counter, untied his apron and sat down across from Chan. He slid his hands along the sides of the glossy wooden table.

“How’s life?” Chan asked.

“Good,” Felix answered. “Tired. Had to wake up at five.”

“Yeah. I didn’t even get to see you before you left. You have a certain knack for slipping out of bed without waking me.”

“Once you’re asleep nothing can wake you,” Felix retorted, and it was true. One thing about Chan’s insomnia was that, when he did sleep, he slept properly—to the point where he slept through his alarm multiple times.

He hummed.

“It’s funny though,” Felix continued, “because you sleep a lot, just at different times. You fall asleep after I do every single day.”

“Sleep schedule,” Chan said, using a finger to pick up a few crumbs from his table. “I go to bed late, wake up late.”

Honestly? He didn’t have the heart to tell Felix that it was usually his soft breathing and sleepy hugs that lulled him to sleep shortly before midnight. Something about the presence of another human calmed him down to the point where he could make it through the night without sore eyes from staring at his laptop all night because he couldn’t sleep.

“How was baking today?” was what he settled for.

“Good,” Felix said. He dragged a hand through his slicked-back hair. “I love coming in early. Rosé tends to be here too for baking. She’s a legend in technical breads. I prefer doing the regular ones that don’t require too much fumbling with dough.”

“You bake entire breads in the morning?” Chan couldn’t imagine making a loaf from scratch in just a few hours.

“Well, we keep starters in the fridge, and most of the time we make the dough the night before, but we bake them in the morning, yeah.”

“So did you make my bagel?”

“Hmm… I don’t think so. I did a batch, but yours looks very pretty, so Rosé probably made it.”

“Don’t downplay your talents like that,” Chan joked.

Felix chuckled, scratching at a stain on the table. His hair looked fluffy, and Chan was sure that if he touched it, it would be warm and silky. It wasn’t as shiny as it used to be, because he’d bleached and dyed it multiple times to get it to the soft pinkish blond.

“What’re you going to do later?” Felix asked, referring to his job at the local auto-workshop.

“Someone’s dropping by with his old Ford Mustang. Should be fun trying to get it to optimal efficiency again. Apparently there’s something wrong with the exhaust pipe.”

Felix nodded. Chan could tell he didn’t understand it, but it was endearing that he tried to get him to talk about his job. Felix knew he really liked his job, and thoroughly enjoyed talking about cars. “My neighbor has one of those.”

“Oh really? That’s cool.”

“Mhm. He won’t be leaving the house though,” Felix continued. He picked a piece of lint from his pocket. “Still sick.”

“Did you text him?”

“Yeah. I don’t think he even replied, but I tried.”

Chan hummed in understanding. “Oh well, you can stay with me for as long as you like.”

+++

Chan liked the smell of cars. It lingered everywhere in the workshop: the rusty walls, his work clothes, the spare tires in the back, the tools that he used… It wasn’t necessarily a new car smell, but rather the smell that cars have when they’re taken apart. A mix of metal, gasoline, rust—the sweet scent of mechanics. He absolutely loved it. He arrived at the workshop an hour before the Ford Mustang would, so he could hoist himself into a pair of blue overalls that definitely complimented the oil-smeared shirt he wore underneath. Work clothes. They were comfy and fitted well, though he admitted that they’d need a wash very soon.

He readied everything for his customer and went to wash his hands so he could take a brownie from the greasy paper bag Felix had given him. He did that sometimes—giving Chan leftover pastries from the last day. He took them home too, always bringing something for dessert or a midnight snack. Granted, it wasn’t very healthy, but it was nice, and both of them got enough exercise and veggies to make up for it. 

Chan savored the taste of the brownies. Even though they weren’t fresh anymore, they were far from stale. He had no clue how to make brownie batter, but this must’ve been a phenomenal recipe, because the taste was just right. Not too bitter, not too sweet either. The perfect blend of cocoa and sugar. (He was pretty sure those were ingredients for brownies—right?)

Outside, the rattling of an engine tore him from his thoughts, and he put the half-eaten brownie back into the bag. He quickly wiped his hands on his overalls, crumbs falling all around him. A matte dark blue Ford Mustang drove into the garage. The overwhelming smell of gasoline wafted through the garage. Chan scrunched up his nose. The man inside of the car was wearing a mask, something that a lot of people started doing after it was announced that the fuzzy rot had spread outside of the hospital. There weren’t enough hospital cases for a lockdown though, so the government was at a loss of what to do about the disease. Professionals reported that there were probably a lot of unreported cases among the population.

The man got out of the car, revealing that he was wearing a thick jacket. Absolutely unnecessary in Sydney’s subtropical weather, but Chan didn’t judge.

“You wanna come into the office first?” he asked. The client nodded solemnly and followed him.

“So I’m going to check your motor first, and then the exhaust,” Chan explained, tapping his pen against the desk that was in the office. “You can wait here, or you can go. It’ll probably take about an hour and a half. First, you’re gonna have to sign this, though.”  
The client took the clipboard and pen that Chan had handed him, quickly signing his name at the bottom. “Thank you,” he rasped, voice unstable. “I’ll wait here, if that is okay with you.”

A nasty smell that definitely wasn’t gasoline filled the room as soon as the man opened his mouth, but Chan didn’t react to it. Some people struggled with bad breath, and it wasn’t his place to comment on that. “Sure. Can I make you a coffee?”

“No thank you. I’ll read a bit.” The man demonstratively pulled a book out of his jacket. One of his hands reached up to readjust his mask. The nails were dirty, and there was something akin to dried blood framing them. Still, Chan didn’t say a thing. He was a professional, and this definitely wasn’t the weirdest client he’d had. One time, a drunk guy with felted hair had come in with a motorcycle that had been filled with water and mud. That definitely took the crown for weirdest client.

+++ 

Chan crouched down behind the car, setting two gloved fingers against the exhaust pipe and putting pressure on it. It bent and creaked loudly, and a crack ran along the underside of it. He stood up again, straightening out his back and rolling his shoulders. “I already see what the problem is,” he said, directed at the client who had been sitting on the bench against the wall.

Keywords: had been. The man was nowhere to be seen, but suddenly the garage door fell shut with a loud clang. “What the fuck?!”

Chan’s spun around to face his client who was standing by the control panel that controlled… well, everything in the workshop.

“Please don’t touch that,” he said. “It can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“I know what I’m doing,” the client said. He turned the key and pulled it out, effectively locking the door. The only light that still fell through the windows in the garage door was barely enough to light the workshop. The client didn’t seem to mind, and he hummed softly as he threw the keys into a corner and stalked over to Chan.

“Sir, what are you doing?” he asked. Fear nagged away at his chest as he slowly backed up until his back hit the wall. The bricks were hard and unforgiving against his sweaty back. “Please retreat, or I’ll have to—”

“You’ll have to what?” The man leaned against the wall, trapping Chan between his arms. Another waft of disgusting air came over him, and he wanted to vomit. “You’re such an easy target, Christopher.”

“Get away from me—” Chan set his hands against the man’s chest, trying to push him away, but he was taller and undoubtedly stronger. It smelled like something disgusting, rotting almost. It reminded him of that one time that he’d found a dead bird in the backyard as a kid.

“No.” The man roughly grabbed Chan’s shoulders and manhandled him to the floor. Chan writhed beneath him, kicking his legs up and into the man’s groin. He didn’t even flinch, but instead flipped Chan over so he could pin his hands to his back.

“Don’t—fuck!” Chan’s wrists were brutally pulled together by a zip tie. The plastic cut into his skin, making the tips of his fingers go all tingly. His head clouded with panic. “Let me go!”

Instead of answering, the man just kicked his side, shoe hitting his intestine and making him cry out as he turned over onto his side. He could see the boot as it rapidly approached his face, and he ducked, and—

The foot halted right in front of his nose. It smelled rancid, like dog shit and mold. “You’re going to make a delicious meal,” the man teased, “Oozing blood and deliciously tender, just how I like it.”

Chan retched. He felt sick to the stomach, like he was about to throw up the brownie that he’d just eaten. He could see the man crouch down so they could look each other in the eyes. He was holding a pocket knife—old, judging by the blunt edge and rusty tip. “Any last words?”

A loud thud echoed through the garage, and the man toppled over, unconscious. Chan gasped for air that didn’t come, and he started wiggling around like a fish. What the hell was going on? Who—why?

“You okay?”

Felix. It was fucking Felix. Chan felt like he was going to cry, tears already collecting in his eyes. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish, very well aware of how pathetic he looked on the concrete floor of his own damn workshop.

“Chan? Yo, Chan!” Felix got down on his knees and rested a hand on his arm.

“Wrists,” Chan managed to sputter out through a mouthful of snot, tears, and spit. Felix was looking down at him with furrowed eyebrows, seemingly taking in every inch of his face.

“How close did he get to you?”

“Too close!” Chan yelled. He was angry. At himself, mostly, for being so fucking stupid as to let himself be overpowered by a client. “I thought he was gonna—”

“Shh,” Felix shushed him, turning him over on his back. He got a pair of scissors from a nearby toolbox. “Talk later, first be okay.”

The zip tie broke, and Chan immediately turned over on his back, using his hands to wipe frantically at the tears streaming down his cheeks. He felt pathetic, with Felix looming over him like that. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. Felix was three years younger than him, he wasn’t supposed to be the one saving him. Oh God, what would he think of Chan? Weak, pathetic, easily overpowered, whiny—the words spun around in his head.

“Chan? You’re okay—he’s out. Chris… Chris come on. Talk to me.” Felix gently wiped his cheekbone and helped him sit up. 

“I’m sorry,” Chan whispered shakily. “How did you get here?”

“Realized that my neighbor’s the only one in town with a Mustang like that. Realized that after three days, the bloodthirst and cravings set in. I couldn’t risk not checking in on you. Did he breathe in your face?”

Chan nodded timidly, causing the other to sigh and whip out a mask from his back pocket. He took it with shaky hands and put it on, pinching the metal thingy above his nose bridge to seal it.

“Keep that on, and stay at a distance from me until you go to the toilet again.”

“What?” Chan was so out of it that he had barely registered anything Felix had said, let alone questioned it, but the thing about the toilet did catch him off guard.

“Sources say presence of blood in urine and feces is the first symptom that shows up right after infection.”

“That quickly?”

“Generally, yeah. I don’t know how reliable it is, because it’s been around for like a week, but if pissing doesn’t hurt and your dick doesn’t bleed after twenty-four hours, you’re probably good.”

Chan nodded. He was getting sweaty under the mask. “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight,” he announced.

“Nope. You’re going into the bedroom and staying there for a day, until we know if you’re good. Then I can make you food and bring it to you.”

Too exhausted and spent from crying to protest, Chan nodded again. Felix took a few steps back, making Chan ache to have him close again. He just wanted a fucking hug. Absentmindedly, he rubbed over his wrists, were red lines were forming.

“Let’s get out of here before he wakes up.” Felix turned around, gathering up all his and Chan’s stuff, before walking out without even looking back to check if he was being followed.


	6. 10 / 3 / 2023

Chan was tired. His eyes were puffy, and he hadn’t slept all night. It was just past noon, and he’d opened his bedroom window because it had gotten all stuffy inside. He didn’t exactly know why he’d cried on and off for the past twenty-four hours. Usually, he barely ever cried—didn’t have many things to cry over either. Maybe it was the shock. The way he could sometimes still feel the zip tie around his wrists, or smell the pungent scent of (what he now realized had been) rotting flesh. Most of all, he thought, he probably cried out of thankfulness for Felix. Without him, Chan would’ve been dead meat. Literally. The sheer thought of what would’ve happened if Felix hadn’t showed up in time sent his head reeling into a darker place. 

Speaking of Felix—he’d brought Chan food every few hours, ranging from a simple granola bar to a bowl of soup to a freshly baked muffin that he’d smelled like half an hour before it even appeared at the door. (With a little note that said ‘thought you might need this <3’ and had made him cry again.) Every few hours, there was also a glass of water at his door, and every time Felix knocked before taking a few steps back and letting Chan get his food. Every time it was agonizing for Chan to see his best friend standing right in front of him, but not being able to hug him. Because even after they’d gotten home safely, he still wanted nothing more than a simple hug, but that was too dangerous to ask.

On Friday evening, Felix knocked on his door gently. “Chan?”

“Yeah?” Chan looked up from his laptop. He’d lost track of time while watching anime to distract himself. It had worked, apparently.

“How was… you know?”

Right. The piss thing. He’d forgotten about that. Chan coughed into his fist. “I… There was no blood, that’s for sure.”

“You went a few minutes ago, right?”

“Yeah. You’ve been keeping me so hydrated I had no choice.”

Felix laughed softly behind the door, a sound that made Chan feel all warm and tingly.

“And any stomachaches?” the younger continued. “They say that’s an early symptom too. Stomachache, cramps, and just inexplicable pain and bleeding in general.”

“None.” Chan answered. “I only threw up once because of… because I remembered the stench? Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, no, of course. Regular vomit though, no blood in there either?”

“Right.”

He could hear Felix sighing. It wasn’t in exasperation though, rather something like relief, which made sense given the fact that they were talking about symptoms of an uncurable disease.

“You’re good then,” Felix said. “You can come out of your little den. I made us lasagna for dinner.”

Even though Chan wasn’t surprised that he was free of symptoms, the simple announcement still made happiness well up in his chest, along with tears in his eyes. He got up from his bed, lightly groaning because his legs were stiff, and went to timidly open the door. Felix looked exhausted, with dark rings under his eyes and slumping shoulders. He didn’t seem to have slept that much either. 

“Hi,” Chan croaked through the tears that were threatening to spill over. 

Felix trembled on an exhale and immediately wrapped himself around Chan’s torso, giving him his long overdue hug. Chan felt like he was melting into the embrace, losing all strength that he previously had. Felix was just so soft and warm, and he smelled like everything he’d missed in the past twenty-four hours. God, he was about to cry again. Sniffling, he pulled away and wiped his sleeve across his face. 

“Are you okay?” Felix asked. His voice was lighter than usual, losing a bit of the rasp that it always had. 

Chan thought about lying and saying he was fine, but a small “Be honest.” from Felix made him shake his head instead. He was very much not okay. On any other day, with any other person, he would’ve just said he was fine and gone to hide in his bedroom or something, but it just didn’t feel right to lie about this, to Felix of all people. He could never lie to Felix. “It was really scary,” he whispered in a choked-up voice. “I thought I was gonna die—”

“Oh Channie,” Felix sighed. He looked close to tears himself, Chan noticed. “It’ll all be okay. You’re not sick. Let’s not watch the news tonight and just give ourselves some time to recover from the scare, yeah? …I cried too yesterday. A lot. Thought about losing you. It was very scary, but it’s over now.”

Chan nodded. He used his sleeve to wipe away another stray tear on his cheek. He wasn’t used to being the weak one, especially with Felix, who he had always seen as small and fragile, someone he had to protect. Oh well, at least he felt safe, knowing that they had each other.

“Now let’s get that lasagna. You wanna eat on the couch? Watch a movie or something?”

“That sounds good… can we please do that?”

“Of course. You go pick a movie, I’ll take the food out of the oven.”

+++

“Titanic, really?” Felix laughed as he sat down next to Chan with two deep plates of lasagna. It smelled heavenly.

“Yeah.” Chan took a plate and a set of cutlery before placing it gently on his lap. A circle of warmth slowly formed on his thigs as Felix turned on the movie. He cut through a good five layers of pasta (how did it look so perfectly stacked?) and then turned his eyes to the tv screen. 

Both of them were familiar with the movie. To be fair, most people see Titanic at some point in their life, but Chan considered himself a kind of Titanic connoisseur. He’d seen it a good seven times at least over the course of his life, every time with a different friend or family member. So he didn’t have to pay a lot of attention, and got to spend most of his time eating his lasagna and watching Felix, who was constantly changing his position on the couch. At one point, he even sat upside down with his legs over the back rest. 

“That was…” Felix seemed to be at a loss for words by the end of the movie. 

“The same as last time?” Chan asked. He was feeling slightly better after having spent a few hours thinking about lasagna, Felix, and sunken boats. Apart from that, it was mostly tiredness that spread through his body. After basically having pulled an all-nighter filled with constant worry, he was absolutely exhausted.

Felix yawned.

“Bed?” Chan took the plate off his lap to set it on the coffee table, and he wanted to wince at the loss of warmth and weight. Lucky for him, Felix decided that that was the exact moment to fall over sideways and settle his head in Chan’s lap. His heart leapt when he looked down at the boy in his lap.

“Mmh, comfy,” Felix mumbled, which was loosely interpretable to something like ‘no, I want to stay here’. That greatly satisfied Chan, because Felix’s head was definitely a very nice thing to have in his lap. He gently started tracing his fingers through Felix’s hair, alternating between long and firm strokes to little ones along his hairline.

“We can’t fall asleep here,” Chan said softly. “I mean, we can, but it won’t be pleasant tomorrow morning.”

“Bedtime?” Felix turned around and looked up at him with drooping eyelids. “I didn’t sleep.”

“Me neither.” Chan used a finger to remove a strand of bleached hair from Felix’s face. “Let’s go to bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of a shorter chapter. very domestic and cute at the end lol. next chapters are gonna be more intense again


	7. 11 / 3 / 2023

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love this chapter and i hope you do too :D
> 
> (i literally researched birds for this and concluded that ravens are more likely to show up in sydney than crows)

The sun shone softly through the window when Chan woke up. Felix had basically melted into him during the night, which greatly pleased him. It was very warm under the blankets though, so he gently tried to wake Felix up. Instead of fully waking up, Felix yawned loudly and nuzzled into Chan’s chest again. 

“Good morning, sunshine,” Chan whispered. Felix just groaned in response, showing his obvious distaste concerning waking up. 

Birds chirped outside, before a loud crash echoed through the street. Chan immediately sat upright, startled by the sound.

“What the fuck?” Felix rasped and rubbed his eyes. 

Chan leaned over to the window and pulled away the curtains. There was a pale writhing form on the pavement a few houses over across the street, right in the middle of a heap of jet black feathers. A branch from the tree above had broken off. Upon closer inspection, the writhing form was, in fact, a naked woman. Her back was hunched and one of her legs stood at an odd angle as she continued to slither around on the rough tiles. After a few seconds, she triumphantly held up a struggling black form. A raven. She lifted it to her face, using bloody hands to tear its wings off.

Chan wanted to look away, he really did, but he found himself frozen on the spot, starting to feel nauseous. He stared as the woman let the raven’s blood run along her forearms, and greedily started licking and biting at the bird.

“Don’t look,” Felix said. His voice had gone soft, and he laid one of his hands across Chan’s eyes, engulfing him in darkness. “We have to leave this place.”

“I don’t want to leave,” Chan said weakly. Outside, a pedestrian screamed. “This is my home…”

“I know, Channie.” Felix gently coaxed him back around and into a warm embrace. “But it’s not safe.”

+++

Chan stared at the picture frames on the wall. There was one of his family when he was a teenager. Lucas and Hannah were just kids back then, bright-eyed and cute. Chan and their parents had joked so often that those times were over, and that they weren’t cute anymore, but somewhere deep inside, he didn’t actually think that. He just hoped they were safe.

The next picture was of him and two of his closest college friends: Bambam and Changbin. Bambam was a DJ now, making music from his home front in Thailand. As for Changbin, Chan wasn’t quite sure. They’d drifted apart quite a bit after he had graduated. Maybe Changbin had gone for a masters degree, or he could’ve gone back home. Either way, he missed them.

The third picture frame was Felix. It was literally just a picture of Felix. They’d gotten it framed as a joke after a relatively intense party following Felix’s graduation. It was him, doing the splits in the middle of a living room while drinking beer from a can, surrounded by friends cheering him on. Chan smiled. He’d been one of the few sober ones that night, and it had been great fun (but also exhausting) to drag Felix to bed afterwards.

“You taking those?” Felix asked. “We can also take them out of the frames and put them into one of your notebooks to minimize the space they take up.”

“Good idea,” Chan said. He looked at his feet in silence for a while. He was wearing bright orange socks. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“I’m your friend, that’s what friends do.” Felix carefully took the pictures off the wall, stacking them in his arms. “You go turn on the news or something, I’ll make sure we don’t forget anything. Oh, and maybe feed Berry, she’s been whining all morning.”

“Okay.” Chan’s voice was still uncharacteristically soft, and he hated it. Still, he put up with it and went to feed Berry. He let her have an extra treat that day because of the stress. She had to have felt the tense atmosphere in the house. 

+++

_“An SEODS-BaV outbreak in a Sydney neighborhood has shaken Australia to its core. Reports of violence, crazed infected people, early symptoms, and even worries about pet animals have started flowing in at local hospitals all over the country, but nowhere as bad as in Sydney. The high population density has been thought to contribute to the quick spread of the so-called fuzzy rot._

_“Areas of Sydney and other cities across the country have been advised to self-quarantine while authorities contain infected. Check the government’s official site to see which areas have had outbreaks in the past week in order to determine where you can and cannot go. In the meantime, the wearing of masks and keeping of distance are strongly suggested during meetings with people outside of one’s household. Under no circumstances should people let themselves be touched or approached by infected ones—”_

The television went black. Chan looked up to see Felix standing next to him with the remote in his hand. 

“Everything’s packed and ready to go. You ready too?”

Chan swallowed harshly. He didn’t feel ready to leave his house behind for an unknown period of time. Same thing went for the workshop and his bike, his friends here… he was scared that he’d never see it again, or at least not see it for a really long time.

“I don’t think I am,” he said. “You know… ready to let go of… all this.”

“Home.” Felix said. And it wasn’t a question, but a statement, as if he agreed that this was, in fact, home. Just the smallest hint that he, too, didn’t want to leave. It soothed Chan to know that he wasn’t alone in that reluctance. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Home.”

“I checked, and we could visit your family, see how they’re doing.”

“Don’t you want to go to your own family?” Chan asked. “You haven’t seen them in a while, have you?”

“They say the area’s unsafe,” Felix mumbled. There was a small crack in his voice, a slight undertone of sadness and fear that he was trying hard to conceal. “Outbreak. I called them this morning and told them to leave, but I don’t know if they will.”

“Oh… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, you can’t help it.” Felix put down the remote. “I’m sure they’ll be able to stay safe. They’re smart. Rachel and Liv are also with my parents right now, so at least they have each other.”

“They’ll be fine,” Chan said. It was supposed to be a reassurance, something to make Felix feel better. Chan knew that Felix hadn’t always had the best relationship with his family, but he still understood that this was a huge shock for him. No matter how many quarrels and fights he’d had with his parents about his studies and his job, they still loved each other.

“Let’s just go, okay?” Felix sounded weak, and Chan knew better than to keep talking about the possibility of his family all getting infected or dying, so he stood up from the couch and followed him to the front door with reluctance in his step.

+++

The key slid out of the lock smoothly, and Chan shut his hands so tightly that the ridges of the key pierced into his palm. It felt like the glossy door was staring at him, dead quiet. To be fair, doors were known as inanimate objects, but it had always seemed so warm and welcoming. Not anymore.

A small hand laded on his shoulder, gently coaxing him away from the threshold. “We have to go Channie. See it as another weekend at your parents’, okay?”

“Just this time we might not come back.”

“We will.” Felix took his hand and walked him to the car. “Someday, we’re going to be back here, and we’ll spend entire days lounging on the couch with each other, talking about everything and nothing, laughing and crying together. Maybe we can even take proper care of the garden for once. It’ll be a proper home then. All ours.”

“You have such a way with words,” Chan whispered. “That sounds nice.”

“And we’ll invite friends over every few days, and we can hang Christmas decoration each December, set up a tree together. We can take Berry for walks around the neighborhood together, and she’ll have the prettiest bed in the corner. We’ll be happy together.” He opened the driver’s side door so Chan could get in, and then walked around to get in on the other side.

“If we get back, I’m holding you to that,” Chan said, starting up the car.

“When, Channie. When we get back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changbin's first appearance, domestic fantasies, families in peril, whatever will be next?


End file.
